French Literature and the Sacred: From the Middle Ages to the Twentieth Century
FRW 6900
Spring 2001
- Dr. William Calin
Graduate Research Professor - Thursday
Periods 9-11 - CBD 316
I. Theme of Course
We will look at the tradition of sacred literature, crucial to our understanding the history of Western culture yet often neglected in contemporary literary studies. Scrutiny of Christian-oriented books and the function of the writer in this context; the meeting of and tension between the sacred and the secular, including anti-Christian satire; in the twentieth century a more varied, problematic response with Muslim and Jewish voices, texts in French from outside the Hexagon, and texts in the great regional languages. Most importantly, we will read these works as literature, from a number of modern critical perspectives, including Freudian, Jungian, Marxist, reader response, gender-related, and intertextual.
II. Student Work & Expectations
- One twelve-to-fifteen page paper.
- Active seminar discussion.
III. Texts
- Chanson de Roland
- Miracles
- Villon, selections
- Poésie baroque
- Voltaire, La Pucelle (selections)
- Cheikh Hamidou Kane, L'Aventure ambiguë
- Elie Wiesel, La Nuit
- Bernard Manciet, L'Enterrament a Sabres (selections)
(Occitan)
IV. Calendar
January
- 11 Introduction
- 18 Chanson de Roland
- 25 Chanson de Roland
February
- 1 Chanson de Roland
- 8 Miracles,
selections (UBS) - 15 Villon, selections (UBS)
- 22 Poésie baroque
(Rousset anthology)
March
- 1 Poésie baroque
(Rousset anthology) - 8 Secular Holiday
- 15 Poésie baroque
- 22 Voltaire, La Pucelle,
selections (UBS) - 29 Reading Period
April
- 5 Kane, L'Aventure ambiguë
- 12 Wiesel, La Nuit
- 19 Manciet, L'Enterrament a
Sabres, selections (UBS)
V. Contact Information
- Office: 236 Dauer Hall
- Office Hours: Monday and Wednesday Per. 8
- Office Phone: 392-2016 x 238
- Home Phone: 373-3739
- Courriel: wcalin@rll.ufl.edu
